Skull and Crossbones
by julesmonster
Summary: There's a killer in DC and he's leaving skulls beside dead bodies. NCIS must work together with the team from the Jeffersonian to solve the case. 5th in the Rainbow Inn Universe. Slash Gibbs/DiNozzo & Booth/Zack.
1. Chapter 1

**Skull and Crossbones**

**By Julesmonster**

_**Part One**_

Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked at the crime scene and sighed. It was going to be one of those cases: the ones that somehow changed you. He could feel it in his gut. They were in a small park-like area on the eastern end of Anacostia. It was quite public and yet they had found no witnesses as yet, nor any video footage, though McGee was still trying while Tony and Ziva processed the scene. The thing that had his gut churning was the methodical way the killer had displayed the body.

The victim was wearing his formal dress uniform and posed as though he had been prepared for burial by a mortician: arms by his sides, eyes closed, lips sewn shut. His shoes were polished to a high gloss and his brass buttons shone. And to the right and left of the victim two skulls with crossed bones like a parody of a pirate flag. It was disturbing because of the precision and forethought involved. It was also disturbing because Gibbs was sure that this would not be the last body they would find like this. Unless they caught this guy, there would be more. This had the markings of a serial killer all over it.

"You think we should give Seeley a call?" Tony asked Jethro quietly. Things had been strained between them since their last visit to the Rainbow Inn, but they didn't allow that to affect their working relationship. At least not usually.

Gibbs glared at his senior agent. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

Tony sighed. "Boss, we've got human bones we need to identify. And as good as Abs and Ducky are, this isn't their area of expertise. Seeley knows how things are. He's not going to do or say anything to give us away."

Jethro closed his eyes and allowed an inner battle to play out. When he opened them again he said, "Make the call."

Tony watched as Jethro walked over to meet Ducky and tell him that they were going to have to wait until the forensic anthropologists arrived before they removed the body. Tony pulled out his phone and called Seeley.

"Booth."

"Seeley," Tony said. "We need your help."

"Mine?" Seeley asked with some amusement. "Or my squints'?"

"Your squints," Tony said with a small chuckle. "We've got a dead Navy commander dressed up to the nines and posed with a skull and crossbones on either side of him."

"Shit," Seeley swore. "I hate the psychos. I can handle the greedy ones and the ones with too much rage. But these psychos give me the creeps every time."

"Yeah," Tony said. "Can you get over to Anacostia right away?"

"I'm on my way to the Jeffersonian now," Seeley said. "I'll get Bones and meet you there in…half an hour."

"Great, thanks," Tony said "Come to the South Gate at Overlook Ave. and Chappie James Boulevard. The guards will be expecting you and will give you directions to the scene." Tony walked over to where Ducky and Gibbs were talking. "They'll be here in half an hour."

"Who is this expert you have called in?" Ducky asked. "Jethro would give me no details."

"I know a guy at the FBI who works on cases with a team of forensic anthropologists from the Jeffersonian," Tony said. "You might have heard of Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"Why yes," Ducky said. "Very impressive lady she is too."

"I've read her novels. She's a good writer," Jethro said.

"She is, but that is not why I am impressed," Ducky said. "She is one of the world's leading authorities on forensic anthropology. I have read several very extraordinary and groundbreaking articles written by her and her assistant Zack Addy. It will certainly be an honor to work with her on this case."

Tony bit back a smile at the mention of Zack. "Well, I haven't met the good doctor yet, but Booth says she's the best."

"Why don't you get back to processing the surrounding area while we wait?" Gibbs suggested, all business once more.

"On it Boss," Tony said and walked back to where Ziva was marking where she found items that could prove to be helpful in solving the case.

Ducky and Jethro watched him go. Once he was out of earshot, Ducky turned to Gibbs and said, "You know, there has been something off between you and young Anthony for several weeks. I do not know what it is, nor do I care. What does concern me is the fact that the tension between the two of you has begun to spill over to the rest of your team. With a case like this, it is imperative that you are functioning at your best."

"Is that right?" Gibbs asked quietly with a note of annoyance. "And what do you suggest I do about that?"

Ducky was not put off by Gibbs' demeanor. "I suggest you fix whatever has you and Tony on edge. And quickly."

"Why don't you go see if you can figure out how long our victim has been dead?" Jethro said coolly.

"Fine, I shall let the matter drop for now," Ducky said as he walked away. "But do no think I shall let it drop for good."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Seeley pulled his SUV through the gates to Anacostia and followed the directions the guard had given him. Bones had not once stopped asking questions about the NCIS team they would be working with since he had told her that the case was not FBI.

"So if this is their jurisdiction and their case, why are we here?" Bones asked with annoyance.

Zack, sitting in the back seat quietly the entire trip finally said, "Because we are friends with the two of the agents on the NCIS team and I'm sure this is a favor for them."

"One I had to talk my boss into," Seeley muttered.

"Are these the friends you met at that bed and breakfast?" Bones wondered. "They sounded very nice from everything Zack has told me."

"They are very nice," Zack agreed. "But their team does not know about their relationship, so we cannot speak about where we met them."

"We'll follow their lead in how they want to handle that," Seeley said.

"I still do not understand why they cannot tell their team at least," Zack said.

Seeley pulled the SUV to a stop near the NCIS truck and turned it off. "Well, it isn't our call. We should respect their feelings on the matter and let them decided how and when they tell their friends."

As they all climbed from the car, Bones said, "I'm far more interested in why the killer used the skull and crossbones to demark his site."

"For centuries, the Spanish used skulls and crossed bones to mark the entrances to their cemeteries," Zack said as he grabbed the equipment cases from the back of the SUV. "At first they were used real bones. Later they used carvings instead of bones, but the skull and crossbones became a symbol of death that was later taken up by pirates."

"The Jolly Roger," Tony said cheerfully. "That's what I'm talking about. Pirates gold and adventure…"

"Hey Tony," Seeley said with a smile. "You remember Zack, and this is Dr, Temperance Brennan."

"Dr. Brennan," Tony said as he held out his hand and gave her his most flirtatious smile. "A true pleasure. Seeley has told me a lot of good things about you."

"The pleasure is mine," Bones smiled stiffly in return. "Though Seeley was rather tight lipped as usual. I had to hear about you from Zack."

"Let me show you to the body and bones," Tony said and offered her a chivalrous arm to escort her over to the crime scene. Tony noticed that Jethro was eyeing them closely as they walked and he gave an inward smirk.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan, I'd like you to meet Dr. Donald Mallard, our ME," Tony said once they had arrived where Ducky and Gibbs were standing beside the body.

"Everyone calls me Ducky," Ducky told her. "I am most interested in watching a scientist of your caliber in action, my dear."

"Thank you… Ducky."

"And this is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Tony said. "He's the lead agent on our team."

"Agent Gibbs," Bones said with a nod.

"Dr. Brennan."

Bones wandered away from the group while Tony introduced Zack and Seeley to the others. Seeley found it amusing when Tony introduced them both to Jethro.

"The positioning is definitely consistent with the symbolic skull and crossbones," Bones said.

Zack joined her and began pulling out equipment as they stepped carefully around both the body and the bones. "There's compacted dirt inside this skull."

"You think it was dug up from a grave somewhere?" Gibbs asked.

"I have no opinion on the matter," Zack told him. "We are scientists; we deal with facts and leave speculation up to you law enforcement types."

"Zack, take a look at this," Bones called out. "This bone. What do you notice?"

Zack looked it over and spoke as he observed. "It is the right femur of a male. There is striation on the surface and some antemortem deterioration. Oh. Wait. This bone does not match the other bone. They are from two separate skeletons and they are both right femurs. But the skull… has the same striations and deterioration."

Zack moved over to the other set and noted, "It appears the killer mixed the femurs up. This one has two left femurs. Both are male. Late teens to mid twenties. In generally good health, though that one would have had some problems later in life with bone loss."

Bones nodded. "They both have compacted dirt in the skulls, indicating that they did not receive a conventional burial. And the bones were stripped of flesh before they were buried."

"How old are they?" Gibbs asked. "This century? This decade?"

"Definitely this century," Bones said. "I would say no more than three or four years dead, but I will be able to be more precise once we get the bones back to our lab. We'll also need soil samples and flora samples for Hodgins." This last was addressed to Zack. She turned back to Gibbs and Ducky. "I assume you will be taking the corpse? We have an ME, but I know how territorial you federal agents get about these things."

"We'll take care of the autopsy ourselves," Gibbs confirmed.

"Well, I would like to coordinate with your forensic scientists on anything they might find," Bones said as she and Zack began bagging and labeling the bones and soil samples.

"Scientist," Gibbs said. "We just have the one, but she's the best in the business. I'll have Abby give you a call."

"Have her ask for Dr. Hodgins," Zack said. "He will be the one she'll need to work with most closely."

They were packing up before very long, getting ready go, but Tony couldn't help but ask another question. "So, do you think the bones have anything to do with pirates?"

"That is highly unlikely, Tony," Zack said. He sounded somewhat condescending but Zack was trying to be kind.

"The symbol of the skull and crossbones signifies death, Agent DiNozzo," Bones said. "It could simply be a demarcation of what the killer sees as sacred burial grounds. Or it could indicate a connection to various fraternity, sports or military groups. Considering the fact that the victim was a member of the Navy and was laid to rest on a Navy base, I would speculate that the last would be more probable."

"I'll be in touch," Seeley said with a grin. "My boss was supposed to contact yours and offer our services in the interest of interagency cooperation, so I'm sure I'll be at NCIS soon."

Tony and Gibbs stepped to the side and allowed Palmer and Ducky to finally remove the body. "Military, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded. "There are a few that I'm aware of. Some Air Force. Some Marine."

Tony's eyebrows rose. "That seems kind of conveniently coincidental, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, Tony, it does," Gibbs said grimly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hi guys, I'm giving an extra chapter today because I'm leaving for Ohio in the morning for my grandmother's funeral. It's two days there and two days back with a day at my parents' house in between for the actual service. Needless to say, my internet access will be sporadic at best. I will try to update when I can, but know I will definitely be back to the chapter a day schedule either Thursday or Friday of next week. In the meantime, keep an eye out! Jules

_**Part Two**_

Two hours later, Gibbs walked into the squad room with a fresh coffee in hand and found McGee and Ziva working hard while Tony chatted congenially with Seeley. Gibbs knew why Tony had claimed the friendship with Seeley and Zack—it would be harder for Gibbs to explain the connection with the younger men and easier for him to maintain his distance—and he knew that Seeley was completely committed to Zack, but for just a moment a ball of jealousy seemed to hit him in the gut. It was the same ball of jealousy that had hit him when Tony had been flirting with Dr. Brennan.

Jealousy had not been a problem for him until recently. Even if Tony had flirted shamelessly with a witness right in front of him, Gibbs had known that Tony's heart belonged to him and him alone. With all of the tension between them lately, however, Gibbs wasn't as secure in his place in Tony's heart. And the worst part was he was completely to blame. That didn't stop him from barking out at Tony angrily as he passed.

"DiNozzo! What have you got for me? Unless you were too busy socializing to do your job?"

"No, boss," Tony said calmly. "Our victim's name is Commander Jonathan Adams. He was the CO of the USS Roosevelt, a Flight IIA guided-missile destroyer that has been in dry docks for the past three months for repairs. They were scheduled to return to the Persian Gulf next month."

Ziva had come over to join them. "Commander Adams was never married and had no girlfriend."

"There is nothing unusual about the Commander's accounts or his phone and email activity," McGee said without looking up from his computer screen. "Not even a late payment on his credit card."

"He was well liked by his crew and junior officers," Ziva went on. "He was rated consistently high in his evaluations and his ship has received efficiency awards for the past three years running. He ran a tight ship, but was fair from every report I've gotten."

"According to his lieutenant, he had no appointments yesterday and no reason to be in formal dress," Tony said. "He was off duty all day, and had mentioned that he had plans to do some yard work and then watch the ball game at home. Ducky has confirmed that he was put into his uniform postmortem and that it appears that our Commander was killed elsewhere and moved after death."

"What else does Ducky say?" Gibbs asked.

Seeley spoke up this time. "Cause of death was from a snapped neck. There were no signs of a struggle, giving the impression that the killer had the element of surprise on his side and that he was most probably trained by the military. The body was then cleaned and dressed before rigor mortis could set in. Your ME is very informative."

"What's the time of death?" Gibbs asked, ignoring the friendly chatter.

"Approximately two in the afternoon yesterday," Tony said. "The killer would have needed someplace he was sure he wouldn't be disturbed because it appears he took his time getting the Commander ready. Booth and I are going to head over to the Commander's house in Alexandria, check it out and possibly speak to the neighbors."

Gibbs glared at Tony's assumption, but had no good reason to call him on it in front of the others. "Fine. Check it out. Call in if you find anything suspicious."

"You got it, Boss," Tony said as he grabbed his gear and waited for Seeley to follow him.

Gibbs watched them go. Once the elevator doors closed, he realized that McGee and Ziva were staring at him. "Get back to work! Find something that might give us a clue why someone would want this guy dead. And check out links to any of the Marine Reconnaissance Battalions. They use the skull and crossbones in their insignias."

They scrambled back to their desks and Gibbs walked to the men's room. Once the door was closed, he slammed his fist into the wall. "Fuck!" When that first hit didn't help, he did it again and again. It wasn't until his knuckles were swollen and bleeding that Gibbs realized what he had done. "Shit." Now he'd have to go to Ducky and Ducky would want to discuss why he had hit the wall a dozen times.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"Things still tense between you two?" Seeley asked once they were on their way to Alexandria.

Tony snorted. "That's an understatement. He's convinced I'm going to walk out any minute, so he's becoming paranoid. He sees me talk with someone and he gets crazy with jealousy. He never was jealous before."

"Talk or flirt?" Seeley asked. "Cause it looked like you were flirting with Bones before."

"Never used to matter," Tony shrugged. "I've always been a flirt. He never cared because he trusted me. Now he doesn't trust me."

"I think it's more likely that he doesn't feel like he deserves you, but he can't let you go," Seeley said. "So he's getting jealous and angry for little to no reason."

"He was jealous of you," Tony said. "That I was talking with you when he came in, and then that we left together."

"Why would he be jealous of me?" Seeley wondered. "He knows I'd never do anything to hurt Zack."

"It's completely irrational," Tony agreed. "I've tried to talk to him, but I can't promise him forever if he can't be open about our relationship. It hurts too much. I'm not going to leave him today or tomorrow, but I just can't promise that it will never happen. Someday, and probably sooner than I want to admit, I'll get tired of being his dirty little secret and walk away. Even though I love him and I know he loves me."

Seeley took Tony's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "He's gonna figure this out before that happens. I know it."

"You and Brian both seem to believe that," Tony mused. "I wish I did."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Gibbs walked into autopsy and watched Ducky and Palmer as they laughed at some story Ducky had told. When they were finished, he cleared his throat and walked over to them. "Anything for me?"

"Not since I gave Anthony my preliminary findings and hour ago," Ducky said. He looked Gibbs over and noticed his damaged hand. "Mr. Palmer, could you go check with Abigail and see if she requires any assistance?" Once Palmer had gone, Ducky scolded Gibbs. "Really, Jethro? Must you do damage to yourself over some minor disagreement?"

Gibbs reluctantly let Ducky lead him to one of the tables and examine his hand. He winced one or twice when Ducky forced his fingers into a fist. "It's not a minor disagreement."

"A major disagreement then."

"Not a disagreement at all," Gibbs denied.

Ducky glared at his friend. "Really? Well it looks like you are lucky. Nothing appears to be broken. I'll just clean these wounds and bandage them, shall I?"

"I'd appreciate it," Gibbs said through gritted teeth.

While Ducky gathered the items he would need, he continued his lecture. "Jethro, I've known you a very long time and I know when something is eating at you. You blame yourself for something and it's making you act irrationally. Now spit it out!"

"It's none of your fucking business," Gibbs growled and got up to leave. "I'll just take care of this myself."

"Get back here!" Ducky shouted. Gibbs froze and Ducky could see him shaking with anger, but he turned around and looked at the older man. "Fine. I will not interfere. I will not bring this up again. You know my feelings on the subject and you know you are free to come to me when you are ready. Now sit down and let me tend to your injuries before they become infected."

Gibbs stared at Ducky for a long time before he finally nodded and returned to the table. He hopped up and let the ME clean the cuts and abrasions and bandage his hand.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Tony and Seeley drove up to a rather non-descript house on a rather non-descript street. It was a simple colonial house, the kind that all have the same layout: two bedrooms upstairs, a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room downstairs. Even from the outside, Tony could tell it was exactly like every other house on that street. The biggest difference was the care that the Commander took with his lawn and garden. The neighborhood was well maintained, but not extraordinary. The Commander's house, on the other hand, was impeccable, the flower beds groomed and weeded, the lawn edged perfectly, and the shrubs pruned just right.

"This guy liked to garden," Seeley said.

"Or he could afford to pay someone else to do it," Tony shrugged.

They knocked on the front door, just in case, but didn't wait long before using the spare key they found above the porch column. The door swung open and the first thing they noticed was the smell. The house smelled of damp earth, though there wasn't a spot of dirt to be seen in the living room or kitchen. There was something odd about the entire situation and silently, both agents pulled their weapons and began a methodical search of the house.

The first floor was easy to search, but then the two men split up. Seeley took the basement while Tony went to check the bedrooms upstairs. Seeley found the basement was clean, dry and practically empty. It was basically one big room with metal posts supporting the load bearing beams. To the left the Commander had set up a workshop with tools and a workbench. There was even a dining room chair that had obviously been brought down to be fixed. On the other side of the basement, the laundry and the heat and hot water units were positioned under the kitchen. There was an outside door, which led to stairs to the back yard, but Seeley didn't find anything of interest there.

Seeley headed back up the stairs to see how Tony was faring. He had just reached the bottom of the stairs to the second floor when Tony yelled, "Bomb!" And then he saw Tony racing down the stairs towards him. Not waiting to find out more, Seeley turned to the front door and had just gotten it open when the world exploded around him.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"Boss!" McGee cried out gaining Gibbs and Ziva's attention. "There was an explosion at Commander Adams house. Tony and Agent Booth were caught in the explosion. They've been taken to United Medical Center. They didn't have any word yet on their conditions."

"McGee, you need to get in touch with Zack Addy at the Jeffersonian," Gibbs said as he grabbed his gear. "His number is in my rolodex. He's Seeley's partner. He needs to know. If he doesn't have a ride, you go pick him up and get him to the hospital. Ziva, get over there and find out what the hell happened."

Gibbs didn't bother to wait for the elevator; he took the stairs and was at his car in record time. The trip across the 11th street bridge was easy enough, and Gibbs hopped on I295, got off at Congress Heights and made his way through back streets until he reached the hospital in the Washington Highlands section of DC. It was maybe five miles total, but took almost twenty minutes, even with the way Gibbs drove. And the entire way there, all Gibbs could think was what if… What if Tony died? What if this was how it all ended?

Suddenly, things like who knew about their relationship seemed petty and irrelevant. Why did it always take Tony's life being in danger for him to realize what was important?

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

McGee found Zack's number and made the call, "Hello, is this Zack Addy?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Agent Tim McGee from NCIS," Tim said calmly. "Agent Gibbs asked me to call you."

"What happened to Seeley?" Zack demanded.

"There was an explosion at a house he and Tony, one of our agents were checking out," Tim said, though his calm demeanor was beginning to crack. He was just as worried about Tony as anyone. "We don't have word on how bad their injuries are yet, but we do know they've been taken to United Medical Center. Do you have a way to get to the hospital?"

"What? Yes," Zack said distractedly. "Thank you." And then he disconnected the call.

Tim looked down at his phone and then hung it up. He wondered why Gibbs had Zack Addy's phone number in his personal rolodex. He wondered what the connection was between Gibbs and an FBI agent and his life partner, an FBI agent that was apparently friends with Tony. Tony, who was injured and on in the hospital. Shit. He needed to tell Abby before she found out some other way.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Zack disconnected the call and turned wide eyes to Hodgins. "Seeley's been hurt. I need to go to the hospital."

"What?" Dr. Brennan, Dr. Saroyan and Angela were all right there and heard. "What happened?"

Zack was too dazed to keep track of who was talking to him, but he answered anyway. "There was an explosion. Seeley and Tony were hurt. They've been taken to United Medical Center. I need someone to take me there."

The others seemed to silently weigh up the options. Dr. Saroyan finally spoke. "I'll drive you and Dr. Brennan to the hospital. Hodgins, Angela, I'll call as soon as we know anything."

And then Zack was being ushered out to Dr. Saroyan's car and the drive seemed interminable. Zack knew that Dr. Saroyan and Dr. Brennan were both close with Seeley, but Booth was his world. They had lived together for more than a year now and Zack couldn't imagine his life without Booth at the center.

"He's tough," Dr. Brennan tried to reassure him. "He's survived this sort of thing before."

Zack nodded but wasn't reassured in the least.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind wishes. I am back and I'll be posting regularly again.

_**Part Three**_

Zack found Gibbs in the emergency room yelling at some doctor and went over to them right away. "How are they?"

Gibbs glared at the doctor who practically ran away. Then he turned to Zack and put his arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Seeley's going to be fine. He was thrown clear of the blast. He's got a few cuts and scrapes, some bruised ribs and a mild concussion. The nurses are just patching him up right now, but they won't even keep him overnight."

"Thank goodness." This came from Dr. Brennan who had just caught up with Zack.

"What about Tony?" Zack asked seeing the concern in his friend's eyes.

"I don't know," Gibbs muttered. "He's in surgery. He was still in the house when it blew. He was hit with chunks of splinted wood among other things. And he was partially buried under the debris for a time. Seeley got him out and kept pressure on the worst of his wounds until the ambulance got there. But the doctors here won't tell me anything."

"But you're his partner," Dr. Brennan said with confusion.

"And his next of kin and his medical proxy," Gibbs said ruefully. "Doesn't matter. They won't tell me anything until he gets out of surgery and they think that could be another couple hours."

"I'm so sorry," Zack said and gave Gibbs a tentative hug. The young scientist wasn't used to giving hugs and Gibbs wasn't used to getting them from anyone but Abby; nevertheless, they both took comfort from the contact.

"Mr. Addy?" a nurse called out from the doorway. Zack raised his hand and she smiled at him. "Agent Booth is asking for you."

Zack looked at Gibbs uncertainly, but Gibbs just smiled sadly at him and said, "Go. Take care of Seeley."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Ducky arrived not long after Zack and Dr. Brennan took Seeley home. The younger man was banged up, but more concerned with Tony's welfare than his own. It was only through the combined efforts of Brennan and Gibbs that he actually agreed to go home and rest. This left Gibbs alone to think just long enough to realize what he needed to do for himself and for Tony.

"They won't tell me anything," Gibbs said. "Other than he was hit in the neck and left shoulder by huge chunks of splintered wood. They're doing surgery right now."

"Let me see what I can find out," Ducky said. "Sometimes doctors are more likely to speak more candidly with a colleague."

Gibbs nodded and let Ducky go find out what he could.

Ten minutes later, Ducky wandered back and took a seat beside Gibbs. "The surgery is almost complete. They will be moving Tony to recovery shortly. The damage was… not as bad as it could have been, but getting all the splinters of wood from the wounds was not easy, and they are afraid that infection is a very real possibility. Neither the wound in his neck nor his shoulder damaged anything vital, though the one in his neck was a close call. He'll need some rehab for his left arm, but he should make a full recovery. And as long as the wounds do not show signs of infection, they will probably release him tomorrow."

"And if they are infected?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky sighed, "Then things get complicated. It depends upon what type of infection he has how they treat it and whether he will need to be hospitalized. They have him on antibiotics to prevent what they can, and have given him a tetanus booster as well."

Gibbs nodded and sat quietly for a time. Eventually, he looked up at his friend and said, "Hey Duck?"

"Yes, Jethro?"

"About that thing you were talking about earlier," Gibbs said. "I think maybe it's time I explained."

He didn't have a chance right then, however, because one of the nurses came to tell them that they were taking Tony up to recovery and sent them up there. He would remain there for at least an hour while they made sure he came out of the anesthesia alright and then be moved to a room. In the meantime, the two men were allowed to sit with Tony.

Ducky followed close behind his friend, but allowed Gibbs to take the seat beside Tony's bed. The younger agent had thick bandages on his neck and shoulder, an IV tube in his left hand, and numerous smaller cuts and bruises visible on his face and torso. Gibbs leaned over Tony and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead before running the back of his finger down Tony's cheek. Then he sat down and took Tony's right hand in both of his.

"I'll let you visit," Ducky said quietly. "I'm going to go call Abby, Tim and Ziva. They are all very worried about Anthony."

Gibbs nodded but didn't look away from Tony. Just after he stepped outside the curtained off area, Ducky heard Gibbs say in a broken voice he had never heard before, "I'm so sorry Tony. I promise, I'm going to make it up to you."

Ducky shook his head. He was sorry it took something like this to make Jethro see sense, but at least he was going to set things straight. And soon Ducky was going to know exactly what was going on. Though he did have his suspicions.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Abby was in her lab, pacing furiously back and forth while Tim McGee guarded the door. "This is unlawful detainment, McGee. I could have your ass thrown in jail for this."

"Just give me your word that you'll stay away from the hospital until Ducky says you can go and I'll let you leave," Tim said calmly.

Abby gave a frustrated huff because they both knew she couldn't do that. As soon as Tim turned his back, she would be out the door and on her way to the hospital. It didn't matter if she could see Tony or not. She wanted to be near him. And she wanted Gibbs to make everything better.

She was about to try one more time to get Tim to let her out when her phone rang. "Forensics."

"Abigail," Ducky said with a reassuring tone. "Are Timothy and Ziva with you?"

"Tim's here," Abby said as she put the phone on speaker. "Ziva is working with the bomb squad to process the crime scene. How's Tony?"

"He had some rather large wounds in his neck and shoulder, but the doctors have removed the splintered wood and he should be just fine," Ducky said. "Gibbs is with him in recovery now. He has a few other minor injuries, such as a sprained ankle and bruised ribs, probably caused by the debris that fell on him."

"When can I come see him?" Abby asked.

"Not until this evening, I'm afraid," Ducky said. "The doctors want to give him time to recover before he has a lot of visitors. For now, only Jethro is allowed. And I, as his physician. Why don't you come by after work? I'm sure that Tony will be awake and up for visitors by then. And Jethro will be ready for some food."

"See," Tim said. "They wouldn't even let you in if you had gone. Now, if I promise to drive you over after work, will you promise to stay put for a while."

"Fine," Abby huffed. "Thanks for calling Ducky. We'll bring dinner and some coffee. And you call us if there's any change."

"I will, my dear," Ducky said with a chuckle and hung up the phone.

"You got your way," Abby pouted at Tim. "Now get out of my lab so I can get some work done. Ziva will be here any minute with evidence from the explosion."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"I don't need nursemaids," Seeley growled. Since they had arrived at the apartment, Bones, Cam and Zack had all been hovering over him like he was dying. "I have a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs. The doctor even cleared me for work tomorrow. So please stop hovering!"

Three sheepish faces all backed away from the sofa in Zack and Booth's living room. "Maybe we should go," Cam said and practically dragged Bones towards the door.

"Good idea," Booth muttered.

"I will see you out," Zack said and followed the women to the entryway. Quietly, he said, "I am sorry. I believe he is concerned about Tony."

"That's fine," Dr. Saroyan said. "We know how grumpy he can get. Just take care of him and don't let him over do it today."

"We'll call if we hear anything about Tony," Dr. Brennan said.

"Thank you," Zack said. "I appreciate everything. I am confident that Seeley will as well when he is feeling more himself.

The ladies left and Zack closed the door behind them and leaned against it. Then he took a deep breath and walked over to the sofa where Seeley watched him apprehensively. Zack gave him a small smile before nudging Seeley's legs over and then lying down with his lover on the wide couch.

Once they were spooned together on their sides and watching the fire, Zack said, "I was very upset when I received the call that you had been injured in an explosion."

Seeley kissed the top of Zack's head and ran a soothing hand up and down his hip and thigh. "I'm sorry you were worried."

"I do not know what I would without you," Zack said softly.

Booth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You aren't going to have to. Today was a fluke. You know that most of the time, my job isn't that dangerous. Otherwise, I'd never let Bones come with me."

"I recognize that," Zack said. "I also recognize that either one of us could become ill or have a mishap. I know that there are no guarantees in this life beyond the fact that we all will die someday. I just realized that I really don't want that day to come for a very long time for either of us."

Seeley kissed the top of Zack's head again and held him tighter. "Me too."

With the two of then snuggled up together, safe and warm, it didn't take long for Seeley's pain medication to kick in and for him to fall asleep. Zack wasn't tired, but he was content to take comfort from Seeley's presence and simply laid there with his lover.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

When Ducky returned to Tony's curtained area, Jethro was still holding the younger man's hand and the doctor's suspicions strengthened.

"Are you ready to tell me what the fuss this morning was about?" Ducky asked quietly as he found another chair and pulled it up to the side of Tony's bed.

Jethro looked at Ducky with a blank face, but he nodded. "Tony has wanted to tell the team something, something important for a long time now, but I didn't want that. A couple months ago, over the long weekend in April, things came to a head. Things have been…tense since then."

Ducky smiled at his friend's ability to talk around a subject. For a man of few words, this subject seemed to make him ramble. "And what happened on that weekend?"

Jethro looked at Tony's hand in his and seemed to find strength in the contact. "Every three months, we go to a bed and breakfast in the Poconos. That's how we know Seeley Booth and Zack Addy. We met them there. There are two other couples and we all go there at the same time… to get away, to be alone together, and to spend time with other couples like ourselves."

Gibbs gave Ducky a look, trying to judge his reaction to that. Ducky chuckled. "Did you expect me to be shocked Jethro? There has always been a bond between you and young Anthony. That it has become a romantic bond is not a big leap."

Jethro frowned. "You knew?"

"I suspected," Ducky said. "But you have not finished your tale."

Jethro shook his head. "Tony doesn't like to hide. But the rules at NCIS prohibit a relationship between a lead agent and an agent serving under him. And we all know that same sex relationships aren't accepted very well even if those rules weren't a factor. So I… I kept telling him no.

"This last trip to the Inn, the subject came up in the group," Jethro said. "No one meant to stir up trouble, but… House, one of our friends, said that no one, no matter how much love there is, will be willing to hide forever. He said that eventually, I would be forced to make a choice, my pride or Tony."

"And Tony agreed with that assessment?" Ducky asked gently.

"He said that hiding made him feel like I'm ashamed of him," Jethro said. "That it made him feel like… a dirty little secret. And I still couldn't fucking do it. I knew how miserable he was, and I just let it go on. And the guilt got worse, and then I started thinking he was going to leave me for every person he was friendly with…"

"And things deteriorated to what I saw this morning," Ducky said. "I understand. Do you understand that telling me, telling your friends, your team, about this is not the same as announcing it to NCIS?"

Gibbs nodded and stared at the bandage that was still wrapped around his knuckles. "Abby's going to kill us both for not trusting her. It wasn't about that though. Not really. I knew we could trust you. I knew that none of you would ever do anything to hurt us."

"Your reluctance had more to do with your self-image than it did trust," Ducky said finally understanding.

"Sounds vain when you put it like that," Jethro huffed.

"It is vanity," Ducky teased. "And prejudice. In your mind, you could not reconcile the ex-marine, tough as nails NCIS agent with a man who loves another man." Jethro shrugged. "I am quite sure that you aren't the first man to have to come to grips with that. Have any of your vacation buddies been through a similar experience?"

Jethro nodded. "Seeley was an army Ranger, a sniper, before he joined the FBI. He hadn't been with a man before Zack. In fact, he said he'd never even considered it."

"And have you talked to him about how he handled that sort of change?" Ducky asked. But he already knew that answer and Jethro didn't bother to respond. "I thought not. Jethro. I cannot tell you how pleased I am that you have decided to share this news with me, but you need to decipher why it is so difficult for you to accept who you are."

"I'm not good at that sort of thing Duck," Jethro muttered.

"Well practice," Ducky said. "And tell your team. I believe that when you see that they can and do accept you no matter who you choose to love, it will go a long way towards helping you accept yourself."

"Thanks Ducky."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Part Four**_

Tony was moved to a private room just before Abby, Tim and Ziva brought dinner. He had woken up several times since the surgery, but never for more than a minute or two at a time. When Abby entered the room, she was not surprised to find Gibbs at Tony's bedside. She was, however, surprised to see that he was holding Tony's hand.

Gibbs looked up and said, "Hey, Abs. Ducky said you were bringing food?"

Abby seemed to shake herself out of a stupor and turned to Tim and Ziva who were just coming into the room carrying the bag of takeout. "Tim! Why don't you, uh, put that down and, uh, go get some napkins."

"There are napkins in the bag," Tim said, giving her a strange look. "Hey Boss, how's Tony?"

When Abby turned back around, Gibbs was standing up and stretching his back. He reached for the bag and pulled out a container of meatloaf and mashed potatoes from one of Gibbs' favorite restaurants. "He wakes up every once in a while, but not for long. The doctors are pleased. There's not been any sign of infection so far, which is really good news."

He set the container on Tony's bed table and dug in. Ducky soon joined them, carrying two large coffees for Gibbs and a tea for himself from the coffee shop around the corner.

"There's food in the bag for you too, Ducky," Abby said. Now that everything seemed to be just like normal, Abby wondered if she had imagined Gibbs holding Tony's hand.

"You okay, Abs?" Gibbs asked between bites.

"Yeah," Abby said. "It's just been a very long day."

"For everyone," Ziva agreed. "I worked with the bomb squad to sort through the debris and brought in the remains from the bomb. They also found the rest of those skeletons in the rubble. We sent them over to the Jeffersonian."

"Any connection between the Commander and the Marine Reconnaissance Battalions?" Gibbs asked.

"Not sure how you figured that one out, but yeah," Tim said. "The USS Roosevelt served as transport for a DPR platoon two years ago, part of Delta Company in the 1st Recon battalion. The mission is classified and we haven't been cleared for access."

"How did you know about the Recon battalions?" Abby asked.

"Scout Sniper platoons… attached…" a hoarse voice croaked out dizzily. "Recon's skull and crossbones."

"Tony!" Abby cried and leaned over to hug him very carefully. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay."

"Thanks Abs," Tony said huskily. He was still dazed from the medications he was on. "There's a bomb… and skeletons?"

"Ziva and the bomb squad retrieved them," Tim confirmed.

Tony blinked and nodded. "Good." His head flopped towards Gibbs and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey yourself, Tony," Gibbs said with a small smile in return. He gently stroke Tony's cheek and watched his lover lean into the caress. Tony's eyes blinked tiredly several times. "It's okay. You can go back to sleep."

"Don't wanna sleep," Tony argued, but his eyes were closing already. "Wanna see you."

"I'll still be here when you wake up," Gibbs said gently. "Go to sleep."

"Yes, Jethro… Love you…"

"I love you too, Tony," Jethro sighed. When Tony was breathing evenly again, Gibbs looked up to see Abby, Ziva and McGee staring at him with open mouths. He retook his seat and held Tony's hand again. "If you must do this now, do it quietly."

"You… and Tony?" McGee stammered out.

"Yes."

"How long?" Abby asked.

Gibbs could see the hurt in her eyes building and knew that his answer was going to make it worse. "Since Kate's funeral."

Abby gasped. "More than two years…"

"It's not Toy's fault," Gibbs was quick to point out. "I was the one who had the problem. If you're mad at anyone, it should be me."

Abby nodded and her voice was cool when she spoke. "Tim. Can you take me home now?"

McGee nodded and he and Ziva said quiet goodbyes to Gibbs and Ducky. "I'll check back tomorrow and let you know how things are going with the case."

"Thank you," Gibbs said. Once they were gone, Gibbs slouched in his chair and looked at Ducky. "Don't say it."

"She will get over this," Ducky said.

"I hope so."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"Are you sure you want to go right back to work?" Zack asked Seeley the next morning as he helped his partner pull on a shirt. His bruised ribs made moving too much painful. "I'm sure you could take another day or two."

"There's a case," Seeley said. "There's a killer out there who nearly blew me and Tony up yesterday. I'm not going to just sit on my ass and wait for him to kill someone else."

Zack sighed as he buttoned up Seeley's shirt and tied his tie. He knew it had been a lost cause, but he'd had to try. "Hodgins said your SUV was taken to the Jeffersonian, so he will drive us both down there."

Seeley nodded his thanks and stood back to inspect his appearance in the mirror. He was a wreck but he'd have to do. "Have you heard anything from Jethro?"

"Yes. Tony is doing fine," Zack said as he helped Seeley into his suit jacket. "They will be releasing him this afternoon. And they have told their team finally. I do not believe it went well. Jethro sounded rather upset."

"Jethro did?" Seeley asked. "That's surprising. Maybe Jethro was right; they should have kept it to themselves."

"I do not believe it went poorly because the team could not accept their relationship," Zack said. "Like you, Tony is very good at reading and interacting with people. He would have known how the people closest to them would respond to the news. If he thought that they were homophobic he would not have pressed the issue."

Seeley smiled at Zack and kissed his cheek. "You're getting better at reading people too. So what do you think the problem is?"

Zack shrugged and put on his own sports jacket. "Perhaps they were resentful that it took them so long to trust them?"

"If they were all as close as Tony said, then that's a possibility," Seeley said. A car horn sounded out front. "I think that's our ride. Come on."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Abby fingered the visitor's badge she had received at the security desk and tried to follow the directions to the Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute. It was still early in the morning and she was carrying a box of samples taken from the Commander's house as well as from his body and clothes. Abby could have processed the samples at her lab, or she could have had them sent by messenger, but the truth was, she'd wanted an excuse to get away from NCIS. Tony and Gibbs were still at the hospital, and Tim and Ziva were tracking down the recon team's that had been on board the US Roosevelt's mission and roster. Abby should have been working on reconstructing the bomb, but every time she looked around her lab, she saw reminders of Gibbs and Tony and that made her remember that they had lied to her for more than two years. For the first time ever, her lab didn't feel comfortable anymore.

"Wow!" Abby breathed as she finally found the lab. It was huge and it was completely open and modern.

"Can I help you?" a man with short curly hair asked, eyeing her Goth makeup and clothes with wary interest.

"I'm looking for either Dr. Hodgins or Dr. Addy," Abby said.

"I know that voice," the man said. "Abby Sciuto, right? I'm Jack Hodgins. Everyone pretty much calls me Hodgins, but you can call me Jack if you want."

"Down boy," a tall woman of mixed descent said from behind him. "You're married, remember? I'm Angela Montenegro, the only one without a PhD in this bunch. So are you one of them or one of us?"

"Nice to meet you," Abby said. "I'm one of them and one of us. I think. I graduated with full honors from LSU with a triple major in sociology, criminology and psychology, got my master's degree from Georgia State University in criminology and forensic science and then got a PhD in Chemistry at American University. All before I was twenty-three. But I bowl with nuns and love to go to clubs on my nights off."

"Are those samples for me?" Hodgins asked as he eyed the box in Abby's arms.

She held it out for him to take. "Yeah. Just some soil from the victim's house and more samples from the victim's body and clothes."

Hodgins and Angela walked Abby over to Hodgins' work station and they found Zack there, building something electronic.

"What's this?" Abby asked. "Is this a replica of the bomb?"

Zack and Hodgins looked sheepish. "Yes. It is not that we do not trust your ability to…"

"No, this is great!" Abby said enthusiastically. "I haven't been able to get this far on the recreation. Where'd you get your specs?"

"From the bomb squad's report," Hodgins said. "A copy was sent to the FBI, and anything pertaining to a case we're working gets forwarded to us."

"You got an extra lab coat?" Abby asked as she began piecing together a portion of the circuitry that had stumped Hodgins earlier.

"Let me get it," Angela said with a laugh as Hodgins looked at her with pleading eyes. "You stay and play with your new friend."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Gibbs was sleeping in the reclining chair beside Tony's bed when the younger man woke the next morning. He didn't have complete recall of the previous day's events but he remembered enough to know where he was and why. Jethro was sleeping peacefully while still holding Tony's hand. It was endearing. Tony tried to adjust the bed quietly so as not to wake his lover, but as the mattress shifted below him Tony couldn't hold back a hiss of pain. Wow. His neck and shoulder hurt.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked, fully awake in an instant. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Tony sighed as he lay back against the pillows. "I was just trying to get comfortable and tugged at my stitches."

Jethro set the chair upright and stretched and yawned. "Well, it's about time you were awake and coherent. They had you loopy on pain meds yesterday."

"Well, they certainly have stopped that," Tony muttered. "I feel every twinge now."

Jethro leaned over and gave Tony a kiss. "I'll tell the nurse. They said last night that they want to get you on oral meds, but they had to wait for the others to get out of your system and for you to wake up first."

Tony watched Jethro leave and noticed that there were half a dozen empty coffee cups in the garbage beside his bed. There were also a few cards and gifts on the window sill. Gibbs returned with a pretty nurse in tow and Tony was soon swallowing a couple pills and eating soggy oatmeal. He hated oatmeal, but he had learned the hard way that the fastest way out of the hospital was to eat what they gave you and keep your pains to yourself. So even though the pills barely made a dent in his pain, Tony smiled and lied with a clear conscience to the pretty young nurse. When she left the room, Tony sagged back against the pillows and Jethro laughed.

"They aren't going to keep you," Jethro told him. "They only kept you last night because they wanted to make sure that no infection set in. Ducky's going to have to come by to change your bandages a couple times a day and make sure no infection gets in later, but they are sending you home today."

Tony cheered up with that news. "Does that mean I can go back to work?"

Jethro glared at his lover. "I think not. Count yourself lucky they didn't strap you in here. Take the time off, watch some movies and let yourself heal."

"So I'm going back to my apartment?" Tony asked glumly. Jethro didn't own a DVD player. In fact, his TV was ancient and probably didn't even have a cable hook up, let alone AV jacks.

"No, Tim and Ziva went to your place last night to get a few things for you and bring them to my place," Jethro told him. "Among those things, I have been assured, is a television that was made this century and a DVD player."

"Thank god," Tony sighed. Then he thought about Tim and Ziva going through his place and a drug-hazed memory flashed through his mind. "Were Tim, Ziva, Ducky and Abby here last night talking about the case?"

"Yep," Jethro said and he took a sip of the coffee the nurse had brought him when she brought Tony's breakfast.

Tony nodded absently. "Did I… did I tell you I love you in front of them?"

"Yep," Jethro said.

"Shit." Tony groaned. "Jethro, I'm so sorry. You told them it was just the drugs, right?"

"Nope," Jethro said. "Tony, I had already told Ducky and decided that you were right. We should tell the team. So when you said that, I told them. I think they might have suspected something was up anyway since I was holding your hand when they came in."

"You… you told Ducky?" Tony asked, almost afraid to believe that it wasn't a drug-induced dream. "How… how did he take it?"

"He reamed me out for being an ass to you," Jethro said ruefully. "And then he told me that I needed to tell the others."

"So you did," Tony said with no small measure of awe. "How did they take it?"

Jethro hesitated here. "It wasn't good at first. Abby was really hurt. I told her it was my fault but I'm not sure she believed me. Anyway, she asked Tim to take her home, which meant that Tim and Ziva both left before I could really gauge their reactions."

"So you don't really know," Tony said in a subdued voice.

"No, I do know," Jethro said as he grabbed Tony's hand and rubbed the back with his thumb in a soothing caress. "They took Abby home and then the two of them talked. They came back Tony. How do you think I know about the television and whatnot?"

"Oh," Tony said. "I hadn't thought of that. So what did they say?"

"Well, after they dropped Abby off, the two of them decided that you'd need some things if you were going to be at my place for long," Gibbs said wryly. "While they were getting your stuff, they talked. I'm not sure what all they talked about, but whatever they said, they both came back to the hospital a little later and told me that they understood why we had kept things a secret, but were glad that we felt we could trust them now."

"So they really are okay with us?" Tony asked and Jethro nodded. "What about Abby?"

"Abby, I think, is going to take a little time," Jethro sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Part Five**_

It was afternoon when the three scientists finished the bomb and had the results from the sample tests back. Abby knew she had no more reason to stay at the Jeffersonian, but still she lingered. She was surprised when Zack Addy approached her and asked if she would like to get lunch together. He was a very backwards man in many ways, yet he seemed nice enough. And she knew from Tim that he was friends with Tony, and probably Gibbs as well, so she agreed.

They walked through the beautiful grounds of the Jeffersonian gardens on their way to a diner that the scientists frequented. Abby held her parasol overhead and they were both quiet for the first part of the journey, but Abby's curiosity got the better of her before too long.

"You knew Tony and Gibbs before this didn't you?" Abby asked. "I mean, as a couple."

Zack nodded. "Yes. We met at an inn in Pennsylvania. There are eight of us who now get together there on a regular basis."

"So you've known them for how long?" Abby asked.

"Eight months."

"And you know more about them than I do," Abby said with quiet hurt. "I've known Gibbs for eight years and Tony for seven and you know more about them than I do."

"I do not believe that is correct," Zack said. He took Abby's hand and led her to a bench where they could sit. Once they were both seated, he released her hand and said, "I know only one side of Jethro and Tony. And the reason I know that side was an accident of fate. What they have shared with you, they have shared by choice."

Tears were falling down Abby's cheeks and she brushed them away with her black gloves. "They lied to me for two years."

"Yes," Zack agreed calmly in the same cool tone he used when discussing the ratio of accelerant to igniter or the marking on a bone. "They lied to you. But have you asked yourself why?"

"Because they don't trust me obviously!"

"I do not believe that is the case," Zack said. "My partner, Seeley, is very much like Jethro. They both had difficult childhoods, they both come from military backgrounds, they were both snipers, they both went into law enforcement after leaving the military, they both had very significant relationships with a woman they loved, and they both had a child with that woman."

"Okay, they are very much alike," Abby agreed. She was less emotional now, distracted by the point Zack was making.

"When I first met Seeley, he avoided me," Zack said. "He refused to work directly with me, rebuffed any overtures I made of friendship and in fact totally ignored my presence for almost six months."

Abby chuckled. "Sounds like he was running from something."

"Yes, he was," Zack agreed. "Though you came to that conclusion a lot faster than I ever did. I am not…good with people. I believed he hated me. It wasn't until circumstances forced us to deal directly with each other that I learned the truth. Seeley was attracted to me but did not know how to deal with that attraction."

"I can see that," Abby said.

"Even when we got together, and he was finally able to admit to me and to himself that he had feelings for me, he still struggled with telling anyone else," Zack said. "You see, Seeley had an image of himself in his mind, one he believed was in conflict with this new side of himself. He was a jock in high school. He was an Army Ranger. He was a sniper. He was a federal agent. He was big and mean and tough and being in love with a man meant he couldn't be any of those things anymore."

"But that's not true!" Abby denied vehemently.

"Of course it is not true," Zack agreed. "But it felt true to him at the time."

Abby hesitated as she thought about that. "Yeah, I guess I can see that."

"Along with seeing himself differently, he also feared that others would see him differently as well," Zack said.

Abby nodded. "Did they?"

"Not as far as I know," Zack shrugged. "Not the ones that matter, at least. But it took months for him to feel safe enough to share our relationship with anyone."

"That must have been hard," Abby said sympathetically.

"I understood," Zack shrugged. "But Abby, if Seeley found it difficult to reconcile his new identity, how much harder do you believe it would be for a man who has had his self-image ingrained into his psyche for almost fifteen years longer?"

"Oh my."

"And how much harder would that silence have been for an insecure person like Tony to bear?" Zack asked.

Abby was crying again, but this time, it wasn't for her own pain, but for the pain of those she loved. "Poor Gibbs. And poor Tony, having to hide for two years!" Abby suddenly stood up. "I have to go to them! I have to apologize!"

Zack checked his watch. "They will be checking out of the hospital about now. Perhaps we could pick up lunch then the two of us could go and see how Tony is doing?"

"That's a great plan, Zack," Abby said. "You are a very smart man."

"Yes I am," Zack agreed.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Ziva and Tim were busy working on the case and were pleased to be able to confer with the team from the Jeffersonian, since it seemed that their own forensic scientist had gone missing. Over a video conference, the two teams began to piece together the clues that they had.

"Two marines from the DPR platoon went UA shortly after returning from their mission," Ziva said. "Sergeant Mark Genève, the radio operator, and Corporal Aaron Gold, the assistant radio operator."

"The descriptions you sent over match the reconstruction Angela did," Dr. Brennan said. "And their medical histories are consistent with what we found. Also, their dental records are a match. I am confident that those two marines are the skeletons we found."

"The soil inside the skulls indicates that the bodies were buried after decomposition," Hodgins told them. "The soil composition does not match any samples at the crime scene nor the Commander's house. But they can be traced to a particular region of Maryland that is prone to flooding." He showed them the region on the map. "I can't really get any closer than that, but if you find the plot where they were buried, I can confirm if the soil matches."

"That area," Tim said. "The recon team leader was from that area, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Ziva said. "Staff Sergeant Oakes was from Tranter Maryland."

"What reason would he have for killing and burying his team members and then coming back and killing the CO of their transport ship three years later?" Angela asked.

"I don't know, but I'd certainly like to ask him," Agent Booth said.

"He was honorably discharged three months ago," Ziva said. "He currently resides in Anacostia."

"Then let's go get him," Booth said.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Abby and Zack brought pizza to the house rather than stopping to eat. Abby's thought was that Gibbs never kept any real food in the house and the two men would be too tired to shop when they got home. Zack was a little uncomfortable when Abby just opened the front door and wandered inside.

"Gibbs? Tony?"

"In here, Abs," came Tony's voice from the living room. He was sprawled across the couch looking pale and tired. He perked up a little when he saw the pizza boxes Zack was carrying. "You brought pizza. Did you get my favorite?"

"One sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese for you, one veggie special for me, and the others will have to fend for themselves," Abby said with a small smile. "How are you feeling? You were still pretty out of it when I saw you last night."

"I'm fine," Tony said, but the wince he gave as he tried to sit up belied that statement.

"He's not fine," Jethro said as he entered the room from the kitchen carrying. "But he will be if he actually listens to the doctor and allows himself to heal before going back to work."

"I tried to convince Seeley to stay home," Zack said. "But he would not listen."

"See, Seeley's at work," Tony said.

"Seeley only had a few bruised ribs," Gibbs said. He lifted Tony's feet so he could sit under them. Abby had taken a seat on the floor, and Zack sat in the lone armchair. "Seeley didn't have two by fours poking out of his neck and shoulder."

Tony huffed but didn't have anything to say to that. "Abby, I'm glad you came. Jethro told me that you were pretty upset last night."

Abby picked at the veggies on top of her pizza and shrugged. "I was really hurt that you guys would keep something so important from me. But Zack explained things and I know that it couldn't have been easy for either of you."

Gibbs moved Tony's feet again and stood up. He then pulled Abby to stand up with him so that he could look her directly in the eyes. "Abby, I'm sorry that I was so lacking in confidence in myself, in my team, and especially in you. I know that you would never let something like this change things between us. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Abby's eyes were filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Gibbs. "You don't apologize."

Gibbs chuckled. "Yeah, well, I've recently had to rethink s few of my rules."

"Rule twelve," Tony put in from his place on the sofa.

"And rule six," Abby said with a watery smile as she leaned back to look at Gibbs' face.

"And I've added a new rule," Gibbs said. "Rule #51: Sometimes—you're wrong."

Abby laughed, but Gibbs gave Tony a long look that said he was more sorry than the younger man would know for making him doubt how he felt. Tony read his face and smiled and nodded. They were good. Better than good. They would be just fine.

"Thanks Zack," Tony told the younger man.

Zack was busy picking pieces of pepperoni off of his pizza and just shrugged. "I did not do anything."

"Well, thanks for what you didn't do, then," Gibbs said with a chuckle.

Just then Gibbs' cell phone rang. "Gibbs… All right, I'll meet you there in fifteen."

"What's up?" Tony asked even before Gibbs had flipped the phone closed.

"Another body," Gibbs said. "They went to talk to the recon team leader from the DPR platoon. They found him dead in his back yard, laid out just like the Commander. Zack, you'll have to come with me. There were more bones."

"I should come too," Tony said as he tried to sit up. It was harder than it looked, since he couldn't use his left arm at all, and every movement made fire flare through both wounds.

"You aren't going anywhere," Gibbs said. "You are staying here until Ducky clears you for desk duty. Then, you'll stay I the office until he clears you for the field." Tony made to protest, but a yawn took over before he could get a word out. "See that? You're exhausted just from getting from the hospital home. Take a nap, watch a movie, and I'll be home before you know it."

"I'll stay for a little while," Abby said. "It will take the team some time to get the evidence together and back to the lab."

"Thanks, Abs," Jethro said as he practically dragged Zack out the front door.

Tony watched them go and lay back with a huff. He hated being left behind.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Gibbs looked over the scene and wondered how the hell a marine, trained to get in and out from behind enemy lines without being caught had been murdered like this. Like the first crime scene, the killer had laid this one out with precision and care. There was nothing to indicate a struggle took place, either in the yard or in the house. Again, there were two sets of skulls and bones arranged on either side of the body. This time the team had called in a bomb squad before entering the house, not taking chances on another explosion. They found the bomb sitting right out in the open on the bedside table in the largest bedroom. On the bed were the rest of the skeletons.

Dr. Brennan and Zack had split up to collect evidence in the house and outside. Seeley was with Zack inside, while Ducky and Tim worked with Dr. Brennan. Gibbs watched Ziva work with the bomb squad, collecting the bomb once it had been disarmed and completely disabled. Hopefully Abby would be able to get prints off of that.

Gibbs wanted this guy. He wanted him to pay for killing these men, but more than that, he wanted hi to pay for hurting Tony. Whether it had been intentional or not, that bomb had almost killed his lover. Call him vengeful, but Jethro just couldn't let that go. He hadn't felt this desire to take another person's life since Ari had invaded their lives. The fact that he had eventually killed Kate just reinforced Gibbs' belief that he needed to stop this new psycho before he could hurt anyone else Gibbs cared about.

"McGee! When you and David finish up here, get back and review everything you know or think you know about every person who was on that destroyer," Gibbs said.

"Right boss," McGee said. "Where will you be?"

"I'm taking Booth and we're going to check out Staff Sergeant Oakes' place in Tranter Maryland," Gibbs said.

Booth, who had just emerged from the house, heard and was soon climbing into Gibbs' car.

"We're going to get this guy," Seeley said once they were on the road. "He's pissed off two very dangerous men."

Gibbs chuffed a dry laugh. "One way or another, this guy is going down."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Part Six**_

The staff sergeant's property in Tranter was not much more than a shack in the woods about five miles outside of the small, one-traffic-light town. It was obvious that nobody had lived there in many years. The widows were all broken out, some covered by boards to keep the weather out, but most left untended. Gibbs and Booth took no chances and had their weapons drawn as they searched the two room shack for both intruders and bombs. They didn't find either. What they did find was a shovel by the back door and footprints in the dust on the floor.

They looked around behind the cabin and found recently turned earth.

"You think this was where the skeletons were buried?" Booth asked as he holstered his weapon.

"Looks like," Gibbs shrugged.

"The squints can tell us for sure," Booth said. "We should get them up here."

"Give them a call," Gibbs said as he went back to his car and grabbed a camera and a garbage bag. After taking numerous pictures of the footprints in the dust and the location of the shovel, Gibbs put the shovel into the garbage bag and put it into his car. It was after six by the time the Jeffersonian team and his NCIS agents arrived. After quickly reviewing what needed to be done with McGee and Ziva, Gibbs turned to Booth. "I need to get back to Tony. Will you finish up here?"

"Sure," Booth told the older agent with a smile. "By the way, I think you did the right thing telling your team. Doesn't seem to have hurt the dynamic."

Gibbs smile ruefully. "No, it hasn't. Too bad I put it off for so long."

"No sense beating yourself up for something you can't change," Seeley told his friend. "Just take care of you and Tony now."

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed. "Call me if anything turns up. And tell McGee and David that I want an update when they're finished here."

"You got it boss," Booth said with a cheeky grin.

Gibbs chuckled and headed to his car. He'd take the shovel and pictures of the footprints to Abby before heading back to the house. When he was almost back at NCIS, he punched his home number into his phone and smiled when a groggy Tony answered.

"Sleeping?" Gibbs asked.

"I was," Tony said. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7," Gibbs told him. "I'm going to drop some evidence off for Abby and then I'm coming home. What do you want for dinner?"

"Had pizza for lunch," Tony said. "After that, everything else pales."

"Seriously Tony," Gibbs said.

"Okay, nothing too heavy," Tony finally said. "Or too spicy. Sandwiches and soup, or some kind of pasta would be good."

"Alright," Gibbs said. "I'll see you in about an hour. Ducky should be stopping by soon. McGee said he had finished his preliminary exam before they left and Ducky was going to leave soon after that."

"I think I hear him pulling in the drive now," Tony said. "That Morgan has a really unique sound, doesn't it?"

"That it does," Gibbs chuckled. "Love you."

"Love you too, Jethro," Tony said and disconnected the call.

Gibbs concentrated on the drive back into DC and considered the killer. They knew he had some form of military training by the way he killed his victims. They also knew that he was in some way connected to the DPR platoon that had been on the USS Roosevelt. If the upturned dirt they had found turned out to be a match for the dirt found inside all four skulls, then they would have further ties between the killer and the recon team.

The killings were merciful and swift. There was no joy in taking the lives of the victims. At least that was true of the two most recent victims. The bones seemed to indicate a similar death: broken neck and no signs of struggle. There was respect—both in the way the killer dressed his victims and in the way he positioned their bones—for the victims and their service tot their country. Gibbs' gut was telling him that this guy was one of them, either crew on the ship or in the marine platoon, but what would make a man snap and do this to his comrades in arms?

Gibbs was still thinking about that when he walked into Abby's lab. "Gibbs! What did you bring me?"

Gibbs handed her the shovel, the camera and a large cup of CafPow! And smile when she hugged him. He was glad that she had gotten over her hurt so quickly. No matter what Zack said, he knew he had that young man to thank for the fast turn around.

"Take a look at the footprints in the photos and the shovel," Gibbs said. "See if you can work your magic and get me a lead on this guy."

"I'm on it," Abby said. Already pulling the memory card from the camera to upload the pictures onto her computer.

Gibbs kissed her cheek and headed out. "Call me when you find something. I'll be home with Tony."

Before he left, he made a detour up to Jenny Shepherd's office. "Jen, I need to know what that DPR platoon was doing on the USS Roosevelt two years ago."

"I've tried," the director said. "So far, I keep coming up against a brick wall."

"Well, I've now got six confirmed dead, possibly more," Gibbs said, "so somebody better start talking."

"I'll go back and see if I can put some more pressure on at the Pentagon, get the SecNav involved if I have too," Jenny sighed. "I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything."

"Thanks Jen," Gibbs said and turned to leave.

"How's DiNozzo?"

Gibbs stood with his back still to the director. "He's going to be fine. But it's going to be a couple weeks before he's fit for the field."

"Tell him we're pulling for him," Jenny said. There was something in her voice that made Gibbs turn around and face her. She didn't look any different, not really, but there was a resignation in her eyes that spoke volumes. She knew. She knew and she wasn't going to say anything or do anything to stop them. "Take care of him, Jethro. He's a very special agent."

Gibbs nodded. "He is."

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

It had been late when Seeley and Zack had gotten in the night before. In fact, Zack had fallen asleep on the drive home and was barely conscious as Seeley guided him up the stairs and into bed. Now, with the light of morning streaming through their windows, however, Zack was wide awake and ready to try out a new trick that Justin had taught him. For some reason, it always seemed easier to be bold and daring in the morning when Seeley was still asleep.

Zack had never slept naked before he and Seeley had gotten together, but they both slept that way every night now. Unless Parker was visiting. On mornings like this, Zack was glad of that fact. He was also glad that Seeley tended to sleep very heavily and on his back, since that made doing what Zack wanted much easier. He was very careful with his movements so that he didn't wake Seeley up before he was ready. It was tricky getting Seeley hard without waking him, and Justin's advice was invaluable. Just enough friction and movement to arouse, but not enough to wake his lover and spoil the surprise. Once Seeley's cock was standing at full attention, Zack very carefully straddled his partner. With one hand he balanced himself and with the other, he guided Seeley's cock to his anus and took him deep inside with one long slow slide.

"Oh fuck," were the first words out of Seeley's mouth as his sleepy eyes blinked open. "Jesus Zack."

By this time, Zack had begun to move, leisurely raising and lowering himself onto Seeley's erection, torturing them both with the unhurried tempo. Almost immediately, Seeley moved to reverse their positions, but encountered a small problem. His hands were tied to the headboard above his head. The silk ropes were tied loose enough that he could easily escape them if he wanted, but Seeley thought he'd let his boy have his fun for once and see what he would do.

Zack smiled at Seeley when he saw that the older, more dominant male was acceding to his nominal control. With both hands resting on Seeley's chest for balance, he leaned forward and captured his lover's mouth in a heated kiss. When they finally broke apart, Zack sat back and really went to work pleasing both of them. He quickened his pace and began rotating his hips slightly each time he impaled himself. This motion made it almost impossible for him to miss hitting his prostate, and the frenzy of pleasure this brought about made him move ever more rapidly and ever more forcefully.

Soon, he was on the brink and he knew that Seeley was as well, because the older man's hips were snapping up to meet him with a power that had Zack keening. And then Zack touched his cock, stroked it once and he was coming, bucking on Seeley and he could feel his lover shudder through his own explosive orgasm below him.

Zack fell forward against Seeley's chest and felt his lover's cock slip out of him. Then he felt Seeley's arms wrap around him, obviously freed from their bindings. Zack kissed Seeley's sweaty chest and tasted himself there. He looked up and smiled at Seeley. Lazy kisses mingled with gentle caresses as they continued to savor the feelings coursing through them

"What brought that on?" Seeley asked. "Not that I am complaining."

Zack blushed. "Justin."

"Ah, more tricks from the second most experienced gay man we know," Seeley said.

"Were the ties… okay?" Zack asked. Sometimes Seeley used the silk cords to restrain him, but most of the time, Zack just naturally stayed where Seeley put him.

"They were fine," Seeley said. "Though I'm glad you left plenty of give. I'm not sure I'd like being truly helpless."

"Justin said that I should," Zack admitted. "He said it's never a good idea to really restrain anyone without their consent first. Was I okay?"

Seeley smirked and rolled them over so that he was now above his lover. "You were more than okay." He kissed Zack hard and with a possessiveness that was all-consuming. The heat flared and in no time, sis cock was showing renewed interest. It was easy enough to just slip right back inside and enjoy the feel of his come lubricating Zack's passage. Seeley leaned down to whisper hotly in Zack's ear as he moved with slow but hard strokes in and out of his lover. "You looked so fucking hot up there, riding my cock. And you now… now I can feel my come inside you and it feels so dirty. Are you my dirty slut-boy?"

"Yes!" Zack cried out as Seeley slammed hard into his prostate and bit his shoulder at the same time.

Despite having only come a few minutes before, it wasn't long before both of them were back balanced on the edge of orgasm. Seeley's filthy words echoed through them both and lent the mating an baseness that they had rarely achieved in the past. Seeley moved Zack's legs over his shoulders and upped the pace and pressure until they were both crying out for their release. Seeley took Zack's cock in hand and stroked him and soon the young man was thrashing through his second orgasm of the morning, his passage convulsing around Seeley like a vise and acting as a catalyst for his climax.

It took much longer for the two men to gather their wits enough to actually move or form lucid words after that. In fact, it wasn't until the alarm blared beside them that Seeley realized that they couldn't just lay there in bed all day. "Shit. We have to go to work."

"That is true," Zack said. Neither of them made a move to actually get up or shut off the alarm, however.

Eventually, Seeley sighed, kissed Zack one last time and then rolled away from his lover. "Alright, we have a killer to catch. So let's get moving."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Part Seven**_

Tony kissed Jethro's neck as the older man was attempting to get dressed. "I wish you could stay here with me. Or I could go with you."

"Ducky said he'd clear you for desk duty tomorrow," Jethro reminded him. "Be patient for one day. Rest and take your medicine. I'll call when I can."

Tony nodded and sighed. "I hate being injured. And I hate being idle. Even desk duty would be better than sitting around the house all day.

"I'll remember that next week when you're whining about getting out on the field," Jethro said wryly.

Tony shrugged. "Bring the case file home with you at lunchtime. I want to look over what we know and see if I can come up with any ideas you all might miss."

Jethro rolled his eyes but agreed. "Fine. But you have to promise to take it easy today. And stay in the house."

"I promise," Tony pouted.

"Good. I love you."

"I know," Tony said with a smile that lit up his eyes. "I love you too."

"I know," Jethro smirked.

One last kiss goodbye, and Jethro was on his way out the door.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Most of the day was spent in gathering and sorting through information on the 23 men in the DPR platoon as well as the 380 officers and enlisted assigned to the USS Roosevelt at the time the platoon was on board. Whatever the mission was, the platoon left the ship in the middle of the night on inflatable rafts and rendezvoused three days later three miles up the coast of whatever country they were in. Only eighteen men left the ship, the three recon teams with the command unit coordinating the operation from the ship. All eighteen returned to the ship. From the celebration witnessed by the navy enlisted they had spoken with, the mission was a success.

Since then, the DPR platoon had seen many changes. The entire recon team that their victims were from had been disbanded. The leader, assistant leader, and scout had finished their hitch and had left the marines. The radio operator and his assistant were the first two sets of bones. The point man was currently assigned to Quantico, but had been reported UA just that morning.

The dead body they had found the day before was definitely that of Staff Sergeant Oakes. The bones were being compared to the dental and medical records of the three remaining members of the recon team. Abby found prints on the shovel, but they matched Oakes, and the footprints were from a pair of common size 11 work boots. The team from the Jeffersonian was able to confirm that the bones had been buried there, and they found traces of what might be two more skeletons. In fact, the only lead they had to go on was the UA point man. He was a corporal at the time of the mission, but was now a sergeant.

"I really don't want to go check this guy out," Seeley said dryly. "Every time we show up at one of these guys' houses, either something blows up or we find a dead body."

Gibbs said. "At least it brings us that much closer to catching this guy."

"You'd think," Seeley said more soberly. "Somehow, I get the feeling like we aren't any closer to getting him now than we were three days ago. This guy is sending us a message, but we can't see what it is."

"Well, we've got no choice but to check out this lead," Gibbs said. "It's the only one we've got right now."

So Gibbs and Booth headed south towards Quantico and the off base housing where Sergeant Michael Lipmann resided. He lived in a small apartment complex only three miles from the main gate of the base. Gibbs would guess that most of the apartments in that complex were filled with marines. Lipmann's place was near the back of the complex and on the third floor. Booth and Gibbs parked and made their way up the stairs and cautiously approached the apartment. They took position on opposite sides of the door, with their weapons drawn, and knocked.

"NCIS," Gibbs called out. "Sergeant Lipmann, we'd like to talk with you."

He knocked again, and there was a sound through the door, a muffled thud and scrape. The two agents exchanged a look and Gibbs nodded. On Booth's signal, he kicked the door in and the two men entered the apartment with their weapons raised and safeties off. The first thing either of them noticed was the sergeant they were looking for tied to a chair in the center of the living room. While Booth went to release remove the gag, Gibbs checked the rest of the apartment.

"There's a bomb!" the sergeant yelled as soon as Booth had his mouth uncovered.

Gibbs, at that same moment had seen the digital timer and now familiar homemade bomb. Just over fifteen minutes left. Gibbs got on the phone to the bomb squad at Quantico even as he went back out to where Booth was rapidly cutting the ropes from the sergeant's wrists and ankles. "We've got fifteen minutes. Get out there and evacuate the building. If this guy holds true to form, this thing will go off and it will be messy when it does."

Ten minutes later, the bomb squad was on the scene and more than thirty neighbors were milling around the grassy area in front of the building. When they came out with the disabled device, Gibbs thanked them and got to work on the crime scene.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"I didn't see anything," Sergeant Lipmann swore to Booth in the conference room at NCIS two hours later. "I wish I had. That guy was psycho. He was in my apartment when I got home last night. I never saw him coming. He drugged me with something. In a hypodermic needle. I was awake, but everything was fuzzy and I couldn't think straight or control my body. He had on a mask. It looked like one we used to use on night maneuvers."

"What sort of build did he have?" Booth asked. "Did you notice any tattoos or scars?"

The sergeant shook his head trying to think clearly. The drugs hadn't left his system completely yet. "It was hard to judge his height, but I'd say he was maybe an inch or two shorter than me. He had blue-gray eyes. And he had a tattoo on the inside of his forearm."

"Can you describe it?" Booth asked.

"It can do better than that," Lipmann said with a rueful smile. "I can show you." He lifted his sleeve and there was blue diamond with a red number one in the center. Above the number, a skull and crossbones dominated the design. "He was in the 1st Recon Battalion."

Booth nodded and left the room. Jethro was standing beside the door waiting for him. He was drinking from a coffee cup and handed a second cup to Booth. "Well?"

Booth didn't really drink coffee, but took a sip from the cup. He was pleasantly surprised to find it was a hot chocolate with lots of creamy milk. "Mmmm. Thanks. His captor had a tattoo of the 1st battalion's insignia on his inside right forearm. He was approximately six foot tall, and had blue-gray eyes. That's about it."

"At least we know where to be looking," Gibbs sighed and headed towards the bullpen with Booth beside him. "More than likely the killer was in that DPR platoon on the USS Roosevelt. Obviously not on that recon team, but definitely in the platoon."

"There were two other recon teams," Booth said.

"And the command team, not to mention the ship's command," Gibbs reminded him. They reach Gibbs' space and Seeley stood in front of desk. "The 1st battalion is stationed out of Camp Pendleton in California, yet these murders are all taking place here. I want to know why."

Booth's cell rang and after a brief conversation he hung up. "Can we get the video conference thing going?" Gibbs looked at McGee who went to work right away. In seconds, Zack and Bones' faces were filling the view screen behind Gibbs' desk. "What have you got?"

"The skeletal remains we collected did not match any of the men on the recon team," Bones told them. "We were able to match them to other members of the platoon. Sergeant Luke Miller and Sergeant Thomas Johnson."

"They were the Field Radio Operator and the Special Equipment NCO respectively," Ziva said as she joined them reading from a file. "Both were still active in a DPR platoon and stationed out of Camp Pendleton. They were on three weeks leave scheduled to end tomorrow."

"I don't think they're going to make it back," McGee murmured.

"We have also gone back over all of the skeletal remains looking for evidence of drugs or confinement based upon the most recent victim," Zack said. "We found hairline fractures on the wrists of three of the four skeletons and evidence of torn ligaments on the fourth. Dr. Hodgins has also been able to retrieve enough bone marrow to test for drugs, despite the fact that the killer boiled the bones before burying them."

"He was able to determine that all four victims were dosed with gamma hydroxybutyrate, also known as GHB," Dr. Brennan said.

"Matches Lipmann's blood test," McGee said. "Abby just emailed me the results."

"That's a date rape drug," Booth mused. "It would certainly give the killer enough control over his captives to ensure their cooperation. But why? Why drug them and tie them up when he could have easily killed them like he did Commander Adams and Sergeant Oakes?"

"We can't answer that," Bones told him. "That's your end. Oh. One last thing. Hodgins was able to definitely confirm that there were actually four sets of skeletal remains removed from that yard that we have yet to find."

"Four?" Gibbs asked.

"There were two buried in each area," Zack said. "The amount of chemical residue from the process he used to clean the bones in four of the graves was doubled in two of the graves. Making for a total of eight skeletons."

"Which means his body count is up to ten already," Booth said darkly.

"And he has at least two more victims in mind," Gibbs said. "Two more ritual killings."

**XOXOXOXOXOX  
**

"You didn't come home for lunch," Tony complained later that evening when Gibbs finally made it home. "I kind of thought you wouldn't."

"We found one of his victims still alive," Gibbs said. He grabbed a beer and came to sit with Tony on the sofa. He caught Tony up on the case and explained everything they had found so far. "But he's breaking his pattern."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked

"He's been snatching marines," Gibbs said. "Drugging them and tying them up for some reason we haven't yet figured out. He them kills them by snapping their necks. He does something to remove the flesh from the bones and then buries the bones. He's done that eight times now to marines in the DPR platoon. He's used four of those skeletons to decorate a crime scene so far. Those victims receive respect in both the way he kills them and leaves their bodies. Death is quick and painless. Then he carefully dresses them in their best uniforms and displays their bodies."

"So there are two types of victims," Tony said. "But this last one doesn't fit either of those categories."

"No," Gibbs said and took a long pull from the beer bottle. "He was tied up and drugged like the others, but the killer left a bomb to kill him. He didn't snap his neck or clean the bones. Something has changed."

"Either he's feeling the pressure to complete his task," Tony mused. "Or he doesn't have any more bodies to decorate."

"You think there will be only two more?" Gibbs said,

"I think this guy has worked his way through the recon team and the command team," Tony said. "There are seven names we haven't been able to link to one of the victims. Four of those are most likely the four missing skeletons, two of them will be his final decorated bodies. Which only leaves one person: the killer."

Gibbs nodded. "We need to get the mission details. I'm positive we could discover the motive for this if we just knew what the hell happened out there."

"Whatever happened, this guy is messed up over it," Tony said. "Either it was something they did to him, or something he was witness to that has him filled with guilt and rage."

"I can understand about guilt," Jethro said. He had his arm around Tony, careful of his injuries, and the younger man allowed his head to rest on Jethro's shoulder. "We never really talked about what you said to me at the Inn."

Tony tensed but didn't' move or look at his lover. "We really don't have to talk about this."

"Yeah, Tony, we do," Jethro said. "I never wanted to hurt you. And I need you to understand that my silence wasn't because I was ashamed of you. I could never be ashamed of you or of what we have together. I have truly loved only three people in my life: Shannon, Kelly, and you. I'm sorry that I allowed my fear and pride to hurt you. Especially after you told me just how much it hurt you."

Tony sat up and looked at Jethro in the eyes. He had the slightest smile on his face. "I never loved anyone the way I love you, Jethro. I think I can forgive you just about anything. But please, promise me that you will try not to test that theory again? I'm not sure my heart can stand it."

"I promise," Jethro said with a small return smile. "Move in here."

"What?" Tony asked, totally thrown by the change in subject.

"Move in here," Jethro repeated. "Live with me."

"'Come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove,'" Tony quoted playfully, his heart suddenly filled with joy.

"I'm no shepherd," Jethro scoffed. "But I might consent to making the bed of roses. 'If these delights thy mind may move, then live with me and be my love.'"

"I had no idea you knew poetry," Tony said with some surprise.

"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love by Christopher Marlowe," Jethro said with a smile. "I memorized it and quoted it to Shannon on our fourth date."

"That's so romantic," Tony said with a teasing smile. "And so unlike you!"

Gibbs shook his head with bemusement. "I used to know how to do all that romantic stuff. Shannon made sure of it. I guess I forgot after she died. Maybe you can help me remember again?"

Tony swallowed back a lump in his throat. "I'd like that."

"So, you didn't answer my question," Jethro reminded Tony. "Will you live here with me?"

"What about work?" Tony asked. "How would we explain that?"

Gibbs shrugged. "We wouldn't. I mean, if people gossip, we just tell them it's none of their business. Which it isn't. And if it becomes an issue with Jenny, then we simply tell her it was for convenience and to save money. Both of which are very good and practical reasons." 

"It would be very convenient to have my stuff here since I sleep here most nights as it is," Tony reasoned. "And it does seem like a waste of money to keep up two residences. We could use the money we save to take a really great vacation together next year."

"But the best reason of all we would keep to ourselves, and our closest friends," Jethro said as he leaned close enough to kiss Tony.

"What would that reason be?" Tony asked, suddenly breathless.

Jethro kissed Tony fiercely, as the insecurities and fears of the past weeks had melted away, they were replaced with a passion that Jethro couldn't remember ever feeling before. HE broke away they were both breathing hard. "Because I love you and don't want to spend a single day without you."

"I love you too," Tony said and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "But right now, I also hate you. I'm also very horny thanks to you and too injured to actually do anything about it."

Jethro laughed. "If you want to go upstairs, I bet I could give you a hand with that without pulling any stitches."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Well, if you think we can…" And they were both laughing and heading for the stairs, their hands clasped together the entire way.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Part Eight**_

Ducky stopped by early the next morning and cleared Tony to return to light desk duty. What that meant was not only was he restricted to the office, but Ducky and Gibbs both reserved the right to send him home if they thought he was overdoing it. Tony was just happy to get out of the house and back to work.

When they arrived, both Ziva and McGee were already there. Their greetings were warm and they were genuinely happy to see him back, even if he wasn't up to full strength yet. Then Abby caught wind that he was there and threw an impromptu party complete with donuts and balloons. Of course, when Gibbs came back with Booth, the party quickly dispersed and the team got down to business.

"We've tracked down the rest of the DPR platoon," Ziva told Gibbs later that morning. "Each one of the other two recon teams has been accounted for. The platoon sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Canetti, was reassigned to Quantico last year and has been UA for two weeks. His CO has been out with the flu and somehow the paperwork got lost so we're just now finding out about it."

"Captain John Jacobs, the platoon commander, has been reassigned to the Marine Barracks here in town," Tony said from his seat behind his desk. It was easier to sit than to strain his arm getting up and down. Even with his arm immobilized in a sling, it was difficult not to pull at his stitches. "He _did_ report for duty this morning."

"I've also been in contact with Sergeant Lance Whitmore's current employer," McGee said. "He's been no call/no show for two weeks. His wife says they were separated and didn't know he was gone."

"Same for Corporal Cal Tanner," Booth said. "Didn't show up for work two weeks ago and the boss hasn't heard anything from him since. The guy's girlfriend has reported him missing with the local LEOs."

"So that's the last of the Recon team," Tony said. "Assuming those guys ended up as three of the four missing skeletons, that leaves us with… the Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman unaccounted for. It also leaves us with the Platoon Commander and the Ship's Executive Officer as the most likely next victims."

"How do you figure?" Booth asked.

"The guy has reserved the special killing and placement for the leadership," Tony said. "The leader of the team, the leader of the ship… there are only two leaders left from that cruise that fit his criteria: the Platoon Commander and the XO."

"The SARC, Petty Officer Eric Glass, was reassigned to the USS Roosevelt last year," McGee said. "What a coincidence."

"We need to bring everyone still alive in here," Gibbs said. "Ziva, and McGee, go get the Captain Jacobs. If he balks, tell him he's being placed in protective custody. Booth and I will get PO Glass and Commander Roberts from the Roosevelt. Lipmann is still in protective custody, so all of our players are about to be in one place."

"What do we do with them when we've got them?" Booth asked.

"We find out what the hell went on out there and figure out who the hell has been killing off marines," Gibbs growled.

Booth still wasn't quite sure how they were going to do that, but he believed that if anyone could, it would be Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

Two hours later, they were back at NCIS with Jacobs, Roberts and Lipmann. PO Glass took emergency leave about the same time that the others went missing. McGee, Tony and Booth were standing in the observation room and watched as Ziva escorted Captain Jacobs into the interrogation room. A minute later, she entered the room and stood beside McGee.

Gibbs entered the room soon after and studied the file before him silently. Captain Jacobs seemed to fidget more the longer Gibbs sat there in silence. Finally the man couldn't keep silent. "What's going on?"

"May of 2004 your DPR platoon were aboard the USS Roosevelt," Gibbs said. "You were on a covert recon mission. You are going to tell me what happened."

"That mission is classified," Jacobs said, but his voice was not very confident.

Gibbs pulled out a sheet of paper and showed Jacobs. "This gives me clearance."

Tony chuckled quietly. "Leave it to Jenny to wait until the last minute to come through."

Back in the interrogation room, Gibbs continued. "I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what was supposed to happen on that mission and then you're going to tell me what actually happened. Your platoon had three recon teams. The USS Roosevelt delivered you to the shores of North Korea before slipping back into open waters. Your teams were supposed to investigate a military installation near the Chinese border that our intelligence reported as having nuclear weapons. They were supposed to get in and get out without being seen. So what really happened?"

Jacobs paled a bit, but nodded. "Three teams went out. Three teams came back with corroborating evidence. Only two teams went unseen."

"What happened?" Gibbs asked again.

"Staff Sergeant Oakes came to me in the debriefing and confided that one of his men had been spotted by a local," Jacobs said. "He told me that the kid had no choice but to eliminate the threat. Exposure could result in an international incident at best, and war at worst. I agreed that the kid did the right thing."

"Who was this kid?" Gibbs asked.

"Corporal Michael Lipmann," Jacobs said. "He was the point man."

"And who knew about the death?" Gibbs asked.

"My whole command team, the CO and XO from the ship, and Oakes were all present for the debriefing," Jacobs said. "And I know that Oakes went over it again in their team debriefing."

"Thank you," Gibbs said and rose to leave.

"That's it?" Booth asked.

"That's all Gibbs needs," Tony said. "Military justice isn't the same as civilian. He'll call Lipmann in next."

"And none of them call for a lawyer?" Booth asked.

"You were in the Army," Tony said. "You should know that a soldier is required to answer for his conduct. Lawyers are reserved for the courtroom."

"You are so lucky," Booth said with a small grin.

Tony smiled back. "We still have to deal with lawyers when we civilians get involved."

It took about fifteen minutes for Lipmann to be escorted into interrogation. He was left to sit for more than half an hour after that while Gibbs went for coffee for the team. Then he returned to the observation room to watch the man while they enjoyed their beverages.

"He hasn't moved," Tony reported. "No fidgeting, no sweat, not even any signs of boredom."

"This really could be our guy," Booth said. "Why didn't I see it before?"

Abby came through the door as they stood there, still sipping a CafPow that Gibbs had obviously brought her when he'd returned from his coffee run. "You were right, Bossman. The bomb in Lipmann's apartment was set to begin countdown when a loud noise was made. Very ingenious and very tricky to spot."

Gibbs kissed Abby's cheek, handed his coffee to Tony and left the room. Seconds later he appeared in the interrogation room.

"Sergeant Lipmann," Gibbs said coolly. "Tell me about the person you killed in North Korea two years ago."

Lipmann didn't look startled or upset. He just nodded. "She was no more than 16 or 17 years old and she was pregnant. She started to scream when she saw me. I had no choice but to kill her."

Gibbs nodded as though he understood. He pulled out photos from a file and laid each one out. "What about these men? Commander Jonathan Adams, Corporal Aaron Gold, Sergeant Mark Genève, Sergeant Luke Miller, Staff Sergeant Oakes, Sergeant Thomas Johnson, Petty Officer Eric Glass, Sergeant Tony Canetti, Sergeant Carl Jackson, and Corporal Cal Tanner. Ten men. Did you have a choice about them?"

Lipmann looked closely at Gibbs but didn't flinch or show a single bit of emotion. "I had a choice with them. I chose to kill them. I chose to make them atone for their sins."

"What sins would those be?" Gibbs asked. His voice was controlled and neutral, mirroring Lipmann's casual detachment as though they were discussing the weather.

"They were there," Lipmann said. He pointed to his team members. "They saw. They were a part of it all."

"They knew you had killed that girl," Gibbs clarified.

"Yes," Lipmann said. "They saw, they knew and they still partied. A woman and her unborn child were dead and they celebrated."

"What set Commander Adams and Staff Sergeant Oakes apart?" Gibbs asked. "Why were they different than the others."

"They knew, but they didn't celebrate," Lipmann said. "Oakes took me aside and tried to set things right. I was sorry I had to kill them. They deserved respect."

"Where are the others now," Gibbs asked. "You moved them."

"Lipmann nodded. "I took them out of the ground so that they would be ready to honor the Captain and the XO."

"Captain Jacobs, and Commander Roberts?" Gibbs asked for clarification.

"Yes," Lipmann agreed. "They're in my car."

The interrogation continued in this same calm and disturbing manner for more than an hour. Lipmann explained how he had called each of the others for help with some imaginary problem. Being good marines they had each come to him from the various places where they now lived. He had drugged them, tied them up and then explained to them why they had to die. When he was finished with his explanation, he snapped their necks. Oakes had told them all about his shack in Maryland. It was easy enough to take the bodies there where no one would question the smell of flesh being boiled away. The cooked flesh he disposed of by feeding it to the neighbor's pigs. He told how he had gotten Commander Adams coming home from duty. And how he had talked with Oakes first, and almost couldn't kill him, but in the end how he had found the strength. He told about the bombs, and the need to wipe away all vestiges of their sin.

When it was all over with, every person who stood witness felt the need for a drink.

"I hate the psychos," Booth said over bourbon at Jethro's house later that evening. Zack sat in his lap in the armchair, leaving the sofa for Jethro and Tony. "He justified his killing by blaming them for the original death. Doesn't make sense."

"I think he's going to for the insanity plea," Tony said. "The military still executes."

"I think he's going to have a difficult time getting a jury of marines navy men to buy that," Gibbs said and took a gulp of his own bourbon before continuing. "After all, he was sane enough to try and make us believe he was a victim rather than the killer. He rigged that bomb and went to a lot of trouble, premeditated, to make sure every step went the way he wanted it to."

"Not the hallmarks of a true serial killer," Booth agreed. "This guy's a breed unto himself."

"We have begun comparing the remains you have brought from his car with the remaining names," Zack said. "It will not take long since we know who and what we are looking for now."

"Ten men," Gibbs said. "Ten fucking men."

"Nine of whom were dead before we ever knew there was a killer," Tony said, trying to deflect some of his lover's guilt. "Enough talk about death and murder. Are you two still planning on going to the Inn this summer?"

"We'll be there," Seeley said. "I don't think Zack would forgive me if I made him miss an opportunity to confer with House. In fact we're heading up there in two weeks."

After that, talk turned to more pleasant topics and the friends had a nice evening after all.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

In bed that night, Tony laid with his head resting partly on his pillow and partly on Jethro's shoulder. "I can't wait until I'm officially moved in."

"Why is that? Jethro asked with a small smirk.

"Because then I'll have all my DVDs here and you and I can have a marathon viewing of Magnum PI episodes," Tony said. "Or we can watch the Duke in True Grit or Cary Grant in North by Northwest."

"You miss your DVDs?" Gibbs asked. "We can spend a night at your place if you want."

Tony shook his head. "Nah. I like it here so much better. My place has never… felt like home. I'd rather be here, with or without DVDs."

Gibbs kissed Tony's head and smiled. "I think this place could do with a little more furniture."

"My stuff is all really modern," Tony said. "I think we should donate it to the Salvation Army. And your furniture is… well, it should go to the curb. Your sofa is older than I am. We can buy all new stuff together."

"Start with a clean slate," Jethro said quietly. He meant more than just the furniture.

"The slate's already clean," Tony said and leaned over to kiss Jethro.

"But what I did, making you feel unwanted like your father…"

"You could never make me feel the way my father used to make me feel," Tony denied. "I never once doubted that you loved me. Not once. I doubted my ability to continue hiding forever because of my past experiences. I always knew you loved me, even if no one else did."

"I'll always love you," Jethro said. "Even if I'm an ass sometimes."

Tony kissed Jethro again before lying back down. "So, now that al this is sorted, are you going to stop growling like a grizzly bear every time I talk with a pretty woman or hot guy?"

"Maybe," Jethro said with a small smile, glad that Tony couldn't see it. "But I reserve the right to break anyone's hand that actually touches you."

"Agreed," Tony said with a grin. "And I reserve the same right." Jethro gave a disbelieving snort. "It's true. You are a real hottie and there are both men and women drooling over you everyday; which is fine—they just aren't allowed to touch."

"Got it," Jethro chuckled. "I love you."

"I know."

There was silence in the room for a few moments.

"Aren't you supposed to say something to me?" Jethro asked.

"Am I?" Tony said teasingly. "Oh alright, I love you too."

"I know," Gibbs said but Tony could tell he was frowning without even looking.

"Big baby," Tony snarked playfully. "How's this then?" His voice when he spoke again was more serious and emotional:

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace  
I love thee to the level of everyday's  
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.  
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.  
I love thee with the passion put to use  
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith  
I love thee with a love I seem to love  
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,  
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,  
I shall but love thee better after death."

"Elizabeth Barrett Browning," Gibbs said with a quiet intensity. He leaned over to ardently kiss Tony. When they broke apart, it was only a breath away. "Soul meets soul on lover's lips."

"Shelly," Tony replied, not moving a millimeter away from Jethro.

Then they were kissing once again. It was not the sort of kiss that led to something more. It was not a preliminary for the main event. This kiss was an event all unto itself. This was an exchange of souls, a meeting of hearts, and it was better than sex and it was better than poetry. It was life and breath and love and death and so much more. It was Tony and Jethro.

And when that kiss ended they both knew that it was only the beginning.

**The End**

**A/N:** Okay, there's another story in the Rainbow Inn Universe completed. Next up is Fall at the Inn followed by Clinging to Love. After that, We're going to be playing things by ear. My grandmother's funeral last weekend, and being sick this weekend (you don't want to know) has put me behind in my writing schedule.


End file.
